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She did. They all did.
Despite my belief and abhorrence of weddings, I’d donned my suit and stood dutifully at the makeshift aisle as I waited for this charade to begin.
Shuffling on my feet, I glanced around the room and took in all the smiling faces. Having played Little League with Bryce, I’d known the Bakers since I was eight years old. He took one look at my scowling face and decided right then we were going to be best friends. Considering I’d never had a friend before, much less one as shiny as him, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by his proclamation. Like it was that easy to decide to be friends with me.
Everything else in my life disagreed with him, so I couldn’t help but wonder how it would play out. Twenty years later, I stood sentry at his little sister’s wedding and ignored the weird feeling in my gut.
“You think your team has what it takes to make a play for the big show this year?” one of Bryce’s uncles asked.
I cleared my throat and dropped my eyes down to the man. I didn’t like speculating, but I couldn’t dismiss these people like I did the media or strangers.
“That’s the hope,” I grumbled, spreading my feet and crossing my arms. This was the third conversation of this type I’d been pulled into in the past hour.
For some reason, it was intriguing that Bryce and I played for opposing teams. But in the Majors, you didn’t get to pick your team, and I’d been drafted by the Kansas City Tornados six years ago while the Columbus Blue Devils had drafted Bryce. We didn’t get to see each other as much now, but the distance hadn’t changed our friendship.
We were solid. Bryce was a part of me, and not even baseball rivalries could change that.
The man grunted, surveying the crowd before he geared up for his next question. Thankfully, my phone vibrated in my pocket, and I lifted a finger to stop him from speaking. The man frowned but stayed quiet.
Ah, bliss. Small talk had to be the armpit of the wedding facade.
Withdrawing my phone, I stepped away when Bryce’s name appeared. He spoke before I even said hello.
“Hey, I need you to pull your car around to the side entrance and take Blake somewhere no one will look for the night.”
“Right now?” I asked, peering around as I looked for my escape route. I didn’t need to know the why. Our friendship was built on complete trust. If he needed me, I was there. No questions asked. There were no secrets between us.
Outside of baseball and my family, Bryce’s friendship was the most coveted thing in my life. Without sounding too sappy, knowing him had changed my life.
“Yeah, leave now. Just say there’s a flower emergency or some shit. I’ll head off the others while you escape.”
“Flowers. Right. Okay. I’m on my way,” I said as I ducked around a few people.
“Yeah, thanks, man.”
I couldn’t decide if something terrible had occurred since Bryce sounded far too chipper for anything I kept imagining if it was my little sister who was getting married.
“Hawk! Have you seen Bryce?” Candice Baker asked, stopping me before I could make my getaway.
“Oh, um, he said something about flowers. I’m going to help him now.”
“Flowers?” Bryce’s mom scrunched up her nose in thought, contrasting with the rest of her. Her blonde hair was swept up in an updo; her silver dress was classy and sophisticated for her daughter’s wedding. “Hmm, well, thank you for helping him. Tell him to hurry. The ceremony is about to start.” She patted my arm as she turned to track down her next victim.
I sighed in relief and knew it was only her preoccupation with the wedding that allowed me to escape.
Candice Baker, or Candi as she preferred to go by, was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn’t just a pretty face but a cutthroat sports lawyer. Candi hadn’t been the typical soft and cuddly mom. She was used to getting her way and being in control, and the only time I’d ever seen her fall apart had been when Blake’s diagnosis came to light. It wasn’t something she could negotiate or control, which left her uncharacteristically vulnerable.
Those years were hard for everyone, but I think it affected Candi the most. I felt marginally bad about lying to the woman who was a surrogate mother to me, especially if it was about to ruin her happiness. From her standpoint, Blake getting married was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was how she measured happiness for all those painful years.
I disagreed, but I had my own issues with marriage that clouded my opinion.
Pushing through the door, I trotted down the stairs and into the cold air. I didn’t miss the Ohio weather and looked forward to returning to Kansas City in a few days. My black Mustang with red racing stripes came into view as I entered the back parking lot. Candi had negotiated a great deal for me when I signed my first contract, and I’d been given a large signing bonus. My car was the one thing I’d bought for myself. In every other area of my life, I remained frugal, too aware of how quickly this lifestyle could disappear, and I had people depending on me.
My Mustang was my measure of success, a reminder that my hard work had paid off. Each time I slid into it, I felt the same happiness I had the first time I settled into the leather seats. It was something no one could ever take away from me. That was a powerful thing.
The engine’s rumble vibrated beneath me as exhilaration raced up my spine. Shifting it into reverse, I drove to the side exit of Emerald Stadium that Bryce mentioned.
Just as I pulled up, the side exit flew open, and a vision in a white dress raced to my car. The white material spread behind her like a cape, a superhero angel making her escape. I tried to gauge if something had happened, but I couldn’t see shit from here. Leaning over, I pushed open the door just before she crashed into the seat.
